Police Recruiting and Hiring

LAPD Recruitment Social Media Campaign

OVERVIEW

Although LAPD has a recognizable brand, they want to shift popular understanding of what it means to be a police officer and, at the same time, be able to attract more diverse candidates.

The i-team created a two-part campaign to spread this message. The campaign included Officer Spotlights – a curated series of one minute long videos and creative portraits to highlight the unique qualities, experiences, and talents of police officers. These at times surprising facts combat stereotypes about who officers are and help the community to better relate to the police. The campaign also featured Community Spotlights, which highlight community leaders telling real stories that shaped their perceptions of police officers and sharing the traits they wish to see in the next generation of police officers.

Because LA is such a large and unique market, the i-team partnered with behavioral science experts and a design agency to hone the messages to compel a diverse, flexible, community-oriented population to join.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE’RE TRYING TO SOLVE?

There are often misperceptions about police officers and misunderstandings about careers in policing, especially in some communities. Even with these barriers, the LAPD remains committed to hiring a diverse police force that represents the residents of the City of Los Angeles. These individuals, who may not traditonally consider law enforcement, are actually critical to enriching LAPD’s perspective on and awareness of different communities. In order to identify why some of these individuals may not consider a career in policing, the i-team conducted research and found the following reasons to be some of the most common:

-Do not traditionally identify with police or see jobs in policing as viable or compatible with their identities-Have or had negative perceptions or misperceptions about LAPD and/or police officers or institutions more generally-Are unaware of the range of career paths available to them within LAPD-Have not worked with or related to a police officer on a personal level-Have been told by friends, family, or others who are close to them that policing is not a field for them

The social media campaign aims to address some of the misperceptions about officers and the career itself with the goal of reaching a diverse population in and outside of Los Angeles.

PARTNERS

Verynice Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley Behavioral Insights Team Act 3